Burying the Past or Future
by BecomingNumbForever
Summary: ON HIATUS When Ryoma's sister comes back to Japan, her tennis skills set her at the top with her brother. Will she be the Prince of Tennis? Or will a figment of her past come back to haunt them? OCx?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Tennis no Ohjisama is all Takeshi Konomi's. -sniff- OH WONDERFUL KONOMI-SAMA!

"What? My 'real' family?"

"Yes, ma'am. Apparently they lived in America for a while, and then moved back to Japan," a stern-looking middle-aged woman confirmed.

"Aiya…and here I was, ready to stay and get serious. Oh well, John. New matters. See ya!" a short girl with dark brown with a tint of greenhair informed the boy on the other side of the tennis court. Her greyish-hazel eyes surveyed the woman standing next to her. "I'll be there in 10 minutes. Then you can explain."

"Yes. I'll be expecting you then."

Yutane sighed. That was the day everything had changed. Her life in New Jersey was thrown off course by the words, "real family." The five foot girl shifted in her airplane seat. She studied the picture of her "new" family again. _Hmph. They don't look very close. The dad and mom are, but the kid; what's his name again? Oh yea. Ryoma. He seems…distant? Ehh…_ She fell asleep soon after to the silence of the plane.

Yutane gripped her tennis bag strap tightly. She stepped off the plane and set foot on Japanese soil for the first time. Alert and cautious about her surroundings, she followed her fellow passengers to the terminal. _Hmm…Nanjiroh's Dad's name…let's see...eh. Not him. Too short._ Yutane's tight dark blue t-shirt with white flowers stitched onto it shifted as she stretched.

"YUTANE!!" a loud voice yelled.

"Huh?"

Yutane was tackled by a middle-aged looking guy with short brown hair, brown eyes, and a stubble on his chin.

"Er…"

"Welcome…home?" he finished lamely.

"Oh. Nanjiroh…the old tennis pro…"

"Eh?!"

"…," the black/green haired boy next to Nanjiroh looked the other way.

"You…Ryoma…," Yutane muttered. "And mom."

Yutane found herself standing by her family's car five minutes later.

"Ryoma, get in the trunk and hold Yutane-chan's bags. Yutane-chan, sit in the middle with your tennis bag. Right, we're ready to go!" Nanjiroh cheered.

"…perverted…," Yutane was still muttering to herself all the attributes to her new family.

_Hmm…she seems different now. Before she was smiling and laughing, _Ryoma thought before he drifted off into sleep, his back leaning against the seats.

Yutane's thoughts drifted back to America as she was brought to her new home. "Seth," a newly acquired friend. His real name was Max, but Yutane liked to call him Seth because he played Seth Plummer in "The Pacifier." She ran into him in a movie theatre before his movie had started. He'd slipped her a small sheet of paper with his number on it along with a small note apologizing for crashing into her. He wanted to pay for any medical bills because her arm hurt. They'd met again afterwards and quickly became good friends. Yutane hoped he would be okay with her having to move to Japan. She missed his company already. Making a mental note to herself to write a letter to him, Yutane shifted in her seat so she could study her new brother subtly. The tiniest smile graced her face. Ryoma looked so…cute when he slept. _Kawaii,_ she thought. The car slowed to a stop in front of a medium-sized home.

"Home…" Yutane murmured. She hopped out and grabbed her tennis bag. "Oi, Ryoma. Wake up."

The said boy woke up and pulled his baseball cap lower to cover the top half of his face. "Ne…" He picked up a small suitcase from the trunk and handed it to his dad and grabbed the other larger suitcase. He led his new sister into the house and upstairs. Ryoma slid open a door next to his room. "This is your room. Mine's next door and the bathroom is down the hall. Dinner's soon, so you can unpack after. You'll get your school uniform tomorrow morning at the office."

The two stood in the room quietly. Yutane broke the silence.

"You look a lot like me. Except I have more brown in my hair than you, and your eyes have more…hazel? So…"

"What?"

"Are we twins?" Yutane tilted her head.

"Yup! But Ryoma here is ten minutes older than you," Yutane's dad pranced into her room and set the suitcase on the floor.

"Nobody asked you," the girl muttered under her breath.

"Well, dinner's ready," Nanjiroh beamed. Obviously, he hadn't heard Yutane's remark.

Yutane and Ryoma glanced at each other.

"Hai…" they said.

Dinner was quiet except for Nanjiroh and Rinko's attempts to make conversation.

"Well, arigato, mom. For dinner. I'm gonna go unpack now."

"I'll help," Ryoma said, standing up and placing the two's dishes in the sink.

"Arigato, Ryoma-kun."

"Ryoma-**san**"

"Hai, hai. Ryoma-**san**"

The siblings walked upstairs in silence.

Rinko sighed. "She's just like Ryoma. Nanjiroh?" He had disappeared. She shook her head. "That man…"

Meanwhile, Ryoma and Yutane were unpacking Yutane's clothes and putting them in her closet and dresser.

"You play tennis, Ryoma?

"Mm."

"A game? Later?"

"What?" Ryoma stared at his newfound sister.

"Haha. A game!" Yutane laughed.

"Mm," Ryoma agreed and folded a polo shirt.

"Yay!" Yutane cheered. She sobered almost immediately.

"Game!?" Nanjiroh burst through the door.

"Annoying…" Ryoma and Yutane muttered at the same time.

An hour later found the twins in t-shirts and shorts on the tennis court behind their house. They stood by the net.

"Which?" Yutane asked.

"Smooth." (a/n: also known as "up", I think….)

The racquet slowed and fell. "Your serve," Yutane told her brother.

Two hours later, the bright lights illuminated the dark court. The twins gasped for breath.

"Score?" Yutane inquired.

"Tie."

"Okay. Time to finish this."

"…" Ryoma's face was impassive, his eyes flickering from her face to the positioning of her hands.

Yutane tossed the ball up. "Urah!"

Ryoma's eyes widened. He dashed to catch the serve. "A-!?" His racquet was torn from his hand. He looked at his sister with disbelief on his face. _Powerful…_

"Game. Yutane, 6 games to 5," Nanjiroh cheered.

"Mada mada dane, Ryoma," Yutane smiled softly.

"Yea…"

_**Zeh! Zeh! Zeh! Zeh! Zeh…**_

"What the hell…," Yutane muttered. She searched blindly with her hand for the source of the annoying sound. Finding her target, the sleepy girl shut off her alarm clock and dressed.

Ryoma ran to school, Yutane not far behind him. She stopped at the office to pick up her uniform and pulled on her new black jacket and pants over her polo and shorts in the bathroom. She followed the signs above the closed classroom doors until she stopped in front of the classroom marked "Year 1 Class 2." Opening the door, Yutane was met with 15 or so bored faces and a teacher.

"Ah! You must be the new transfer student from America! Please introduce yourself," the teacher bubbled.

"Echizen Yutane," said Yutane, closing her eyes, attempting to make up for her lack of sleep.

"Ah. Right, Echizen-kun. Sit next to…Echizen-kun,please."

Ryoma closed his eyes. He could feel a headache coming.

"Nani? Sensei, aren't we allowed to ask questions?" a student questioned.

"Ah, yes. Please wait, Echizen. Hai, Ranko."

"Are you Echizen's twin brother?"

Both Ryoma and Yutane's eyes shot open. They glared at the unsuspecting student. "I'm/She's not his/my brother!" they said together quietly but angrily.

"Eh? Then how are you related to Echizen?" a boy asked.

"I'm his sister."

The class was confused.

"Then why are you wearing a boy's uniform?"

"The secretary gave it to me," she closed her eyes again and walked to her assigned desk. The day passed quickly.

After school, Sensei Kuzana held Yutane behind a little to fill in the new girl of what they were learning. About 10 minutes later, Yutane walked down a path that led to where the girls' tennis club was held.

"No! We don't want you here!" a girl with short hair yelled.

"We don't need you! Go away!" another cried. "We've already written a petition and it's been confirmed. Go!"

"Nani? Eh, well. Whatever." Yutane turned and left. It didn't really matter if the girls hated her. It's not like she would die without them. The lost girl chose another path and followed it. _Damn Ryoma. Deserting me…_ She halted. Tennis courts filled the space before her. She walked toward the tennis court where she thought Ryoma would be. Yutane stepped through the fence gate and stared in wonder at the scene before her. Members were playing one another and training.

"Sugoi…," she murmured.

"Who are you," a black-haired boy with a bandana hissed.

"Viper, huh…," Yutane recognized his face from a tennis magazine at home.

"Don't call me that!" the boy growled.

"Ah?! Kaidoh-senpai is mad!" Horio whimpered.

"No violence on the court," Yutane shot back as Kaidoh raised his fist. (a/n: sorrryyy! OOCness)

"Fine. A game."

"Game?"

"What's going on?" a deep voice demanded.

"Captain Tezuka!" the entire court said.

"I will not tolerate breaking rules. 50 laps!" Tezuka commanded.

"What about that kid?" Arai asked, pointing at Yutane.

"My application form has been approved by Coach Ryuzaki. I'm running. Yo, Viper. Running?" Yutane headed to the tennis house to drop off her tennis bag and change out of her school uniform.

"Ssss…"

"I'll be waiting." Yutane entered the small building and placer her bag in a corner. She pulled of the black uniform jacket to reveal a white polo, the collar up, with navy stripes on the shoulders. Slipping off the black pant to reveal a pair of black shorts, she headed outside for her "race" with the Viper.

"Oi, Kaidoh. You get irritated too easily," Yutane informed him.

Silence.

"Okay, on 3. 1. 2. 3!"

The two sprinted forward and plunged into their 50 laps.

The tennis club ceased their practice.

"Sugoi!" Kachiro said in awe. The new boy was keeping up with Kaidoh, who was head taller than him.

"Who _is_ he?" Horio demanded.

"Stop slacking! Back to practice!" Tezuka shouted.

The tennis club members scrambled backto their practices.

About five minutes later, Kaidoh and Yutane were still running and keeping in pace with one another.

Ryoma stepped out of the tennis house and walked over to the court. Entering, he noticed two figures running outside the fence.

"Eh?" _She's in trouble already…_

"Oh, Ryoma-kun. Do you know that boy?" Katsuo asked.

"Not really." Ryoma walked away to an empty corner and began to stretch.

Horio, Kachiro, ad Katsuo looked at each other.

"Same old Ryoma…," Horio sighed.

"Neh, Kaidoh. This is a race, right? Let's pick up the rhythm, Kaidoh!" Yutane changed her footing quickly and the pair shot toward the gate for their 50th lap.

"Amazing!" a junior shouted as the Seigaku Tennis Club watched the two tennis club members shoot toward the end zone like a bullet.

"Kaidoh? …you need to work on speed…," Yutane tsked.

"Shut up!"

"Oh! That's right. Who's 'Inui'?"

"That one." Kaidoh pointed at a tall, pale regular.

"Ohh!! Inui-senpai!!" Yutane sprinted over to the male with square glasses. "I have your data book. I found it on the floor in school." She ran to get her tennis bag and handed him his book.

"Oh? Arigato…," Inui thanked her.

Yutane nodded. She turned around and crashed into Masashi Arai, spilling the basket of tennis balls in his arms. "Oops. Sorry."

"Why you…!" Arai yelled.

Yutane walked away, unknowingly provoking Arai. He grabbed a tennis ball and served it as hard as he could at the retreating boy. Arai's eyes widened.

Yutane heard the tennis ball hit tennis racquet strings. She easily pulled out a dark purple racquet from her bag on her back and caught the tennis ball and bounced it on her racquet. She turned to stare at Arai. "Your serve is weak." Yutane served the ball back to him. It flew with power and speed right next to Arai's ear and bounced off the tennis court fence. "Mada mada dane." She stole her brother's trademark line.

Arai twitched. "Who are you?"

Yutaned turned away from Arai. "Echizen Yutane."

Arai's eyes shot wide open, Inui Sadaharu jerked, Fuji Syusuke's eyes opened in shock, Kawamura Takashi stared at Yutane's back, Eiji Kikumaru and Oishi Shuichiro looked at each other in surprise before looking at the source of shock, and Kaidoh scowled. Tezuka Kunimitsu didn't move or show any signs of surprise. Ryoma "keh"-ed and turned away.

"Nya, Ryoma! Is that really your brother?" Eiji grinned at Ryoma.

Ryoma and Yutane spun around to face Eiji.

"She's not my brother!"

"I'm a girl!"

The tennis club went silent at Yutane's statement.

"A…girl?!" Horio cried.

"Eh, Ryoma? You didn't introduce me?" Yutane stared at her brother.

"Wait…Echizen?" Horio asked.

"We're twins," Ryoma supplied.

"Ohh!! OI! They actually do look alike!" Eiji said excitedly.

"I would expect that if we were TWINS," Yutane muttered.

"Sugei…Ryoma-kun never told us he had a sister," Kachiro smiled.

Tezuka approached Yutane. "Intra-ranking tournament is over. However, you will play the regulars as another tournament to determine your spot."

"Hai," Yutane turned away and stretched.

"Starting today."

"Hai."

"Echizen, Eiji, Echizen, Kaidoh: Block B. Oishi, Inui, Kawamura, Fuji: Block A. Echizen Yutane, you will play me after you complete all your one set matches with the other regulars. You will all play one another. Be prepared. First game, Echizen Ryoma and Eiji. Kaidoh, warm up. Echizen Yutane, play one set with Arai. Block A, warm up. In 10 minutes is Oishi and Inui."

"Hai!" the tennis club shouted. The each scrambled to their designated areas.

Yutane stretched her arms and picked up her racket. "Hey, Arai. Ready?" she shouted across the court as she stepped behind the baseline.

"Heh, how good is a girl at tennis than a boy? Echizen may have beaten me, but you won't!" Arai retorted.

"I'm not as good, huh," Yutane smirked and pulled a black baseball cap over her shoulder length hair and bangs. "Which?"

"Rough."

The racquet slowed and fell over.

"Rough. Your serve."

Arai hit a powerful serve and ran to the center of the court.

Yutane inclined her head slightly. She ran to the left and hit the ball back to Arai. He returned it easily and charged for the net. Yutane caught a glimpse of Inui writing in his data book. _Probably getting data on me,_ she thought.

"This is boring…," Yutane yawned and hit the tennis ball over Arai's head.

"Huh?!" Arai gasped. He turned to see the tennis ball hit just inside the baseline. "No way…"

"Hey, Arai. I thought you were good!"

"Shut up!"

The game was finished quickly.

"Game and match to Echizen. 6 games to love!"

Arai breathed heavily and glared at the short girl standing at the court net.

"Work on your footwork. If you move faster, you'll get to the balls," Yutane advised her opponent.

Arai scowled darkly. _Damn, how did a puny __girl__ beat me?_

Yutane walked off the court and stretched her left shoulder. She swung her racquet a bit and stretched again.

"Next game, Echizen, Echizen!"

"Oi, Ryoma. Did you understand my play yesterday?

"Yea."

"Good. Which?"

"Smooth."

"Your serve."

Ryoma walked to the baseline and bounced the tennis ball. Yutane headed for the back half of the court and bent her knees and leaned forward. Her eyes studied Ryoma's muscles and the tennis ball.

Ryoma served and ran for the net.

Yutane ran to return the ball and followed Ryoma with her eyes. Ryoma hit the ball and returned Yutane's hit powerfully. Yutane turned on her left foot and hit the tennis ball. She struggled to return the hit. _Heavy. He's serious about winning._ "Uyu!" She returned the hit with a powerful hit. Ryoma returned her forehand with a backhand. Yutane turned on her left foot again.

"Ohh? What a long rally!" Katsuo said in admiration.

"Nani? Ryoma is being pushed back? Kachiro was shocked.

"He's Echizen! He'll win!" Horio shouted.

Yutane smirked. She pivoted on her left foot once again as Ryoma's shot hit the court right in front of her. She returned it easily and pulled her baseball cap lower onto her head. She turned slightly and waited for the ball to return to her.

The Block A players trekked over to the court where Block B was playing. Inui also wanted to collect more data before his other matches. The four met Tezuka along the way and went together to watch the Echizen twins' game. They arrived to find the two freshmen panting and hitting heavy balls. After a while, Fuji took a small step forward and opened his laughing eyes.

"That…"

"What?" Oishi asked.

"Her feet."

"No way!" Oishi gasped.

"That's Tezuka Zone!" Kawamura Takashi exclaimed.

"Yo, Ryoma. Tired?" Yutane asked as she hit the tennis ball over the net.

"No way. I can play another 20 games!"

"Great! Let's play seriously now," Yutane returned a Twist Spin Shot with ease.

Ryoma ran to catch it, but missed.

"Game to Echizen…uh…Yutane! 2 games to 1! Change court!" the referee called.

"Good data…," Inui mumbled.

Yutane took a deep breath. "Ne, Ryoma. Better than yesterday!"

"Yesterday?" Kawamura Takashi asked Fuji Syusuke who shrugged.

Yutane and Ryoma changed courts. Ryoma bounced the tennis ball several times and then tossed it up into the air.

"There it is! Twist Serve!" Horio cheered.

Yutane smirked. She ran forward and hit a rising shot. The ball flew back over the net and Ryoma met it as it bounced. the rally continued for another 15 minutes before…

"Look! Drive B!"

Yutane's eyes widened. The ball hit a B formation past her.

"40-love!"

"Nice shot," Yutane commented.

"Thanks."

He hit another twist serve. Yutane returned it with a rising shot again, successfully speeding the pace up. Ryoma returned her shot with a strong forehand. Yutane and delivered a high lob. Ryoma leapt up and smashed the ball.

"Hehe…," Yutane aligned herself behind the ball as it slammed down onto her court. In a blur, she had executed a perfect Higuma Otoshi.

"Uh? Fuji, isn't that your Higuma Otoshi?" Kawamura shouted.

"Yea…I'll have to watch out for her…," Fuji's laughing eyes opened and were serious, studying the girl closely.

Ryoma took in a sharp breath as Yutane executed a perfect Higuma Otoshi.

"No way…," Oishi gasped.

"Game and match to Echizen Yutane! 7 games to 5!" the referee shouted.

"She beat ochibi?" Eiji and Kaidoh joined the gathering crowd.

"Heh. Mada mada dane." Yutane pulled her baseball cap off, shook her head, and pulled the black cap back on.

"Ne," was his answer.

"Next game, Echizen, Kaidoh!"

"Which one?" Yutane asked.

"You."

"Yay!" Yutane cheered ecstatically. She ran to her bag and drank some water before returning to the court.

Ryoma sweat dropped. "She's still so energetic and hyper…"

"Unlike our chibi!" Eiji laughed. "Oh?" He turned to see Inui scribbling madly in his data book. "Same old Inui…"

Tezuka watched the match between Echizen and Kaidoh quietly like he watched all matches. He studies her moves and swings closely. _She has a good form. Let's see how she'll do against Kaidoh's Snake._

"A!" Eiji cried.

"She returned Kaidoh's Boomerang Snake! It's as if she was expecting it!" Kawamura shook his head.

"She's good. Even better than Echizen," Inui agreed, looking up from his scribbles.

After a half an hour, the referee yelled, "Game and match to Echizen! 6 games to love!"

"Well, if she won 7 games to 5 with Echizen, and Kaidoh isn't as strong as him, then…Echizen wins by 6 games. My calculations were correct," Inui muttered to himself.

"Ne, ne! Who do I play next?" Yutane skipped over to the area of the fence where her brother was standing.

Ryoma stared at the smiling face of his sister.

"Eiji's the only one left from our block," he told her.

"Eiji?" Yutane was confused. "Who's Eiji?"

Ryoma sweat dropped. He pointed at the hurt face of the red-haired boy.

"Oh…"

Eiji pouted and turned to his doubles partner. "Wah, Oishi! She doesn't know me!"

Yutane pouted and ran over to the pouting boy and gave him a hug around the middle from behind. "Gomen, Eiji-senpai! Forgive me?" Yutane asked guiltily.

Suddenly, the sky rumbled and a pale hand descended from the clouds and smacked Yutane over the head.

"OI!! Get back in character!" a female voice yelled.

"That wasn't me…," BecomingNumbForever said, making sure to press the pause button on her remote control.

Yutane rubbed her bruised head. "Can we get back to my wonderful scene now?"

The hand retreated, the owner grumbling about how out of character Yutane was acting.

BecomingNumbForever hit the play button on her remote.

The group (Oishi, Ryoma, Tezuka, Kaidoh?, Inui, Syusuke, and Kawamura) stared at the girl latched onto Eiji's waist. Eiji stared down at her, then grinned. "Okay! Haha, kiddo. Your sister is so cute!" He hugged Yutane back and then she pulled away.

Yutane smiled happily, back to her energetic state. "C'mon, Eiji-senpai! Our one set match!" She grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him onto the court. Eiji grabbed his racquet before he was dragged away.

Oishi looked at Ryoma. "Your sister is…different."

Tezuka looked on as Yutane launched herself onto Eiji's waist apologetically. A minute later, Yutane was smiling and energetic again. She was an interesting girl. He would keep an eye on her.

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BCF: Yes, I know. I don't think this is the best in the world, but so far, it's the best I can make it. Any kind of feedback is LOVED AND APPRECIATED!!!

Random person: Psstt….she means review!

And….VOTING TIME!! For the pairing.

Tezuka x Yutane:

Fuji x Yutane:

And tell me if there's another pairing you might think will work D preferably straight, sorry to all those yaoi fans. I can't write yaoi…

Vote in your review!

BCF: Right, and there is a 50 chance this story will stay focused on tennis and a 50 chance it will turn into an action story.

Yutane: You're starting to sound like Inui-senpai….

BCF: Isn't that supposed to be a good thing? Since he's smart and all….wait, scratch that. I DON'T WANNA BE LIKE INUIII!!!!!!! SCARY JUICE!!

Inui: …

Ryoma: ..review…

Becoming Numb Forever


	2. Author's Note

Sorry guys!!

I realize it's been almost a year since I put up the first chapter, and it's due to quite a few reasons. The first one being I had barely any time, the next being I never finished editing chapter 2, the third being I lost my interest in the story for a while, and the fourth being I totally forgot about it until a few weeks ago. I _hope_ it'll be up soon, and I'm currently going back through it, and yelling at myself about how much chapter 2 sucks right now. So, hopefully, Chapter two'll be up in no time and my readers will be happy with it.

BNF


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: how I hate these xd…Tennis no Ohjisama still is all Takeshi Konomi's.

"Tiebreak! 12 point match! Kikumaru to serve!"

Yutane watched Eiji serve and ran to fetch the ball as it bounced. She sighed. They had been playing for over and hour and hey were only at a tiebreak. Gritting her teeth, she told herself she could not lose against Eiji. No matter what, she could not lose; her pride wouldn't be able to take it.

Eiji panted. Yutane was good. They were at a tiebreak and he was beginning to run low on energy. _Not good,_ he thought.

The panting girl almost cried with joy when she noticed Eiji's exhaustion. The tiebreak wouldn't last for long; it was a win or a loss.

"Point to Echizen. 12-11!"

Yutane served and Eiji returned her shot desperately. The ball bounced twice on her side of the court. She didn't move, barely comprehending that the ball had been returned as her muscles screamed at her abuse.

"Point to Eiji. 12-12."

The tired players began to move slower due to their exhausted state. The only thing that kept them moving was the determination to win.

Yutane began to get desperate.

"Point to Yutane. 13-12."

Yutane put everything she had left into her next shot but Eiji returned it. _Damn it, _Yutane groaned mentally. She nearly missed the ball, but managed to hit it with the edge of her racquet. "Shit!" she muttered as she hit the floor.

Eiji ran to deliver a finishing shot when the ball disappeared. "Huh?"

A thud was heard behind him. He turned to find the ball rolling away from the court to the right, opposite the direction he had been heading in.

"Game and match to Echizen. 8 games to 6."

Yutane collapsed and lay on the court breathing heavily. She shaded her eyes from the bright sun with her hand. She looked at Eiji who lay in a similar position on the other side of the court. It was by luck that she managed to hit a shot Eiji couldn't return…not to mention, it was pure luck that it happened to be a pretty good shot, though she highly doubted she could ever reproduce another one.

Oishi entered and reached out a hand to pull his partner up and Fuji entered with Tezuka and Ryoma. Ryoma stood off to the side while Fuji and Tezuka walked over to the girl lying on the court. Fuji extended his hand and helped her up. Tezuka picked up her racquet from the floor and took note of her physical state.

"That's enough for today," he told the new member. "Relax."

Fuji smiled as he always did. 'You're good. I'll enjoy playing you."

Yutane smiled weakly. "If I live through today. I have…too much homework, I'm tired, and I really want to sleep."

He laughed. "Don't worry. You'll be fine. Make Echizen do it if you get tired."

"Hey!" Ryoma said indignantly. "Don't give her any ideas."

Yutane laughed but winced as a dull ache pulsed through her head. "Ow. My head is killing me…"

"Go home," Tezuka told her.

"Thanks." The exhausted girl dragged herself to the showers. Tezuka stood outside the door, making it his responsibility to make sure no one went inside while she was…indecent.

Eiji grinned despite his physical state when he saw Tezuka station himself outside the locker rooms.

"Nya, Oishi. Look! Tezuka and Yutane, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

Unfortunately, the captain heard him. "20 laps around the court, Kikumaru," he ordered.

"Nya nya, Oishi! He's blushing!"

Oishi shaded his eyes, eyebrows scrunched together in concentration. "You sure? I don't see it…"

Inside the locker room, Yutane was standing under the showerhead. Her eyes were closed, relishing the relief the hot water brought her muscles. Steam filled the shower room rather quickly, and it was a miracle she hadn't been burned yet. Her skin was light pink and she inhaled. Her arms and legs ached from the long match with Eiji. Reaching up, she turned off the water and wrapped her towel around her. She dressed quickly, grabbed her bag, and walked out only to bump into the captain's back.

"Sorry," Yutane apologized.

"My fault. Now go home," Tezuka gently turned her toward the tennis courts' exit.

"Thanks again." Yutane waved and headed home. Thank God she had a sense of direction and remembered the way home. About five minutes later, she heard sounds she could recognize anywhere. Sounds she had come to love. Yutane climbed up a flight of stairs and stared in shock. _A street tennis court?_ She watched as a red-haired girl in a navy and white school uniform played against a tall boy, his short black hair standing on end. The boy smashed the tennis ball. _It's that guy from before,_ Yutane realized.

Flashback

Yutane wandered down a random path. _ Why the hell do they have so many pathways?_ she thought. Lost in her confusion, Yutane didn't notice the tall boy until she walked into him. "Oh. Sorry."

Dark violet eyes that seemed depthless peered down at her. "It's okay. Are you looking for he tennis courts?" He noticed the tennis bag Yutane was holding.

Yutane's eyes snapped to meet his. The mystical eyes were full of depression. She could sense the fake cheer that covered his sorrow. "Yea."

"That way," he pointed down a path littered with sakura petals. "I'm Momoshiro Takeshi, second year. But you can call me Momo-chan-senpai since you look like a freshman. Or you can just call me Momo-senpai like Echizen does."

"Echizen? Echizen Ryoma?"

"Yea. That brat," Momo-senpai laughed.

"Then do you belong to the Seigaku Tennis club by any chance. You probably do, if you're friends with Oni-chan?"

"Oni-chan? You're Echizen's brother?"

"Sister, actually. The secretary messed up and gave me this uniform instead of the girl's uniform."

"Echizen had a sister all this time and I never knew? Wow."

"No, I just recently found out they were my family. I came yesterday evening," Yutane explained. "If you're in the tennis club, why aren't you at practice?" she asked curiously.

"I got dropped form the regulars. Damn Inui and his data tennis," Mom mumbled darkly.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked," Yutane said, feeling guilty for bringing up a sore spot.

"No, it's okay. See you later!" Momo walked toward the school gates, waving and grinning.

"Ja."

End Flashback

Yutane watched the match before her happily. When Momo finished the game with a smash, the three were surprised to hear applause. They looked towards the bleachers.

"Hyotei," the mysterious girl breathed.

A grey-haired boy sitting in the center of his friends began to speak. A boy with short violet hair leapt and tumbled in the air, landing behind Momo.

Yutane ventured closer, catching a phrase about playing doubles against Momo and the girl.

"Fun, doubles," a voice said behind Momo. He and the girl turned. "Yo, Momo-senpai."

"Yo. What're you doing here? What about practice?" Momo asked, surprised that Echizen's sister was there.

"Buchou let me leave early. My match with Eiji-senpai took _forever._" Yutane finally got a good look at the red-haired girl. "A-An?!"

An stared at the boy in front of her. How he knew her name, she had no idea, but she didn't know him.

Yutane sighed. "I cut my hair. Make more sense?"

"Yutane? What're you doing in Japan?" An asked, shocked to see her friend in Japan.

"Long story. You," she pointed at the grey-haired student who looked super arrogant, "can leave. Bring your friends with you."

Ryoma appeared behind Yutane, arriving too late to hear his sister's order. "Hey, Monkey King," he said to the still-seated grey-haired boy, "want to play me?"

The boy stood. "We'll have plenty of time for that in the Kantou semi-finals." He walked away, snapping his fingers, and his entourage followed his lead, slinking off to who-knows-where.

An turned to Yutane. "Explaining time," she sang.

"Ryoma's my twin brother, so I'm actually Echizen Yutane."

"Ah, that explains why you guys look alike. Oh right, Onii-chan misses you, you know."

"Well, it _has_ been three years. How is he?"

"Normal. He cut his hair though, and it's black again."

"No more punk look?"

An laughed lightly. "Nope."

"Yes! More to tease him with!" Yutane cheered.

Ryoma groaned mentally at this overly excited gesture and dragged his sister home before she could think up any crazy ideas with Tachibana-san's little sister.

Yutane screamed at the sight of Ryoma's Himalayan cat. "Oh! He's soooooo cute!" she cried, cuddling the pet.

"His name is Karupin."

"Kawaii, Karupin!!" Yutane hugged the cat.

Karupin frowned unhappily. Getting suffocated was not his idea of greeting Ryoma. He leapt out of the girl's arms and ran off to the sanctuary of his master's bed.

Yutane pouted. "Aww, Karupin no like me… Oh well." She sniffled. "I'm gonna go work before I collapse. See ya. Call me down for dinner?" She headed up the stairs after receiving an affirmative from Ryoma.

Ryoma followed his sister up the stairs after informing their mother of their return. An hour later, the phone rang. He headed downstairs to pick it up, but his dad beat him to it.

"Moshi moshi," Nanjiroh said into the phone while flipping a page in his perverted magazine. Suddenly, he dropped the magazine and shouted into the phone with enthusiasm, "_Who_ are you? What do you want with Yutane? How do you know her? Are you dating her?"

Ibu Shinji muttered to himself. He finally decided to call his good friend, Yutane-chan. He hadn't had a chance to set his other side free in years. Yutane had sent him an e-mail two days ago saying she was moving into Echizen-kun's home. They were twins and she gave Shinji her new address and home phone number. He decided to call her home just in case her cell number had changed. He tapped in the strange numbers and a middle-aged sounding man answered. "This is Ibu. Is Yutane-chan home?" Instead of answering, the man proceeded to interrogate him. Shinji held his cell phone away from his ear. The rest of the Fudomine tennis team snickered at him as they heard the voice on the other side of the line shout and ask their friend about his relationship with the girl he was asking for.

"Shinji," Tachibana Kippei, the Fudomine captain said, "just hang up and call Yutane-chan's cell phone."

Shinji stared at the phone. The incessant blabber had stopped and he now heard Echizen-kun's voice.

"Want some super cute pictures of her? How about –"

Ryoma snatched the phone out of his father's hands to save the male at the other end of the line. "Hang on; I'll get her." He covered the mouthpiece and went upstairs to knock on Yutane's door.

"Come in."

Ryoma opened the door. "Phone. And dinner's ready."

"'Kay. I'll be right down."

Ryoma disappeared downstairs. Yutane stretched, stood up, and headed downstairs to pick up the phone. "Oh. Hey, Shinji. How are you? Oh. That was my dad. It sounds just like something he'd do. Umm…it's about seven now. Until eight? Okay. I'll eat dinner and finish my homework. I'll meet you at the courts. Yeah. Since I pass them anyway, I'll just check if you guys are there. If not, then I'll just head to the restaurant. Okay. See you." Yutane placed the phone back where it belonged and went to eat dinner. She informed her mom where she was going later that night and polished off the rest of her food and left her dishes in the sink. "Dad, you can wash the dishes tonight," she teased, as she ran upstairs and sat down to finish her English essay. Her cell rang and she answered after noting the caller ID. "Hi Shinji. Girl clothing? Okay, okay. Yea, okay. Almost done. Editing my essay. Sure, whatever. Bye." Yutane read over her essay one last time and then changed into a black skirt that resembled Seishun's girl uniforms in both length and style and a navy tank top. She grabbed a white jacket and her tennis bag while slipping on her black sweatband. "I'm leaving!" Yutane told her mom. She pulled on her sneakers and ran out the front gate. Quickly finding the street tennis court she had found earlier, Yutane climbed the stairs to see an empty court. "They must still be eating…" She flew down the stairs and headed for the restaurant, following Shinji's clear directions.

Yutane stopped in front of a pair of glass double doors. She pushed them open and was met with a brightly-lit room. A young waiter saw her and hurried over.

"How many, ma'am?"

"Umm, well my friend's here. Ibu Shinji?"

Just then, Tachibana Kippei walked by. "Oh, Yutane-chan. Our table's this way." He beckoned for her to follow him.

"Thanks anyway," Yutane thanked the waiter before he was out of sight..

Kippei and Yutane walked to their table, catching up with each other since the last time they met.

"Yutane! I didn't expect to see you again so soon. But then again, you live here now," An said happily.

Yutane grinned, set her bag down, and sat in the empty seat next to Shinji. He nodded in greeting.

"Long time, Shinji. Three years. What's new?" Yutane prodded her old friend.

"Nothing really."

"Fu-do-mi-ne..?" Yutane sounded out the name embedded on Shinji's jacket. "You go to Fudomine Junior High?"

"Yea."

"Are you on the tennis team? Never mind," she said hastily, noticing the jersey he wore. Yutane glanced at the rest of the group. _Jerseys, all of them are…_

"Hai, Yutane-chan. We're all regulars. Maybe we're even better than you now," Kippei teased.

"Maybe, maybe, Kippei-kun. Did you get faster, Kamio-kun?"

"Definitely."

Kippei excused himself, leaving Yutane with his sister and the team.

Ishida Tetsu stared at the unfamiliar girl sitting across from him. Who was she? She was somehow connected to their captain, the speed demon, Shinji, as well as Tachibana-buchou's little sister.

Yutane felt someone's stare and turned from Shinji to face the boy wearing a white bandana. "I'm Echizen Yutane."

"Ishida Tetsu. My doubles partner, Sakurai Masaya. That's Uchimura Kyousuke and his doubles partner, Mori Tatsumori."

"Yorishiku Ishida-kun, Sakurai-kun, Uchimura-kun, Mori-kun."

"Yorishiku," they replied.

Kippei reappeared. "Let's go. I already paid."

"Aww. How kind, Kippei-kun!" Yutane couldn't resist teasing the older boy.

An was ecstatic. "Yutane, are you joining us on the courts?"

"Yup."

The group left the restaurant and headed back towards the tennis courts. They arrived and proceeded to warm up.

"Hey. Back for more practice?" a deep voice greeted the Fudomine regulars.

"Yea. Yutane-chan, this is Jyosei Shonan Junior High's tennis captain, Kajimoto Takahisa, and his team. Kajimoto-kun, this is an old friend, Echizen Yutane," Kippei introduced them to each other.

"Hi," Yutane greeted the tall captain.

"Hey," he nodded to her. "This is Shinjou Reiji, Wakato Hiroshi, Tanaka Kouhei, Tanaka Youhei, Daichi Kiriyama, and Oota Shou."

Reiji stared at the short girl standing in front of his captain. He saw the resemblance. It was obvious she was twins with the Echizen he had played in the quarterfinals.

Takahisa studied the girl standing before him. She smiled brightly and then turned to the Fudomine captain.

"Kippei-kun, do you have any idea why I'm here? I doubt Shinji-kun's going to tell me," Yutane frowned.

Kippei shook his head. "Sorry, Yutane-chan. He didn't tell me about any of his evil little schemes."

Shinji glared at his captain. "I don't scheme."

"Yes you do," his two friends chorused.

"Akira! Tell them I don't scheme," Shinji turned to his other friend for help.

"Sorry, Shinji. But you _do_ scheme," Akira grinned devilishly, purposely teaming up with Yutane and Kippei to make Shinji mad.

Shinji glared at the three laughing teens. "Yea, gang up on me." He proceeded to mumble a bunch of obscenities and mutter about stupid friends and why he was even still friends with these people.

"Sorry, Shinji. But face it. You _do_ scheme. Now who is it this time?" Yutane smiled at her friend's glare.

"You choose? But I've got a preference. See if you can spot it before I tell you." Shinji grinned mischievously, finally breaking his mumbling rant.

"Ibu-kun! You better not be doing what I think you're doing.," An glared at the grinning boy, bounding up to the little group.

"Chill, An. I don't mind. It's his way of showing that he cares," Yutane laughed.

"Don't let it go too far like last time," Kippei warned his teammate.

Flashback

Shinji grinned. His matchmaking skills were still sharp. Yutane and Ethan were happy together. Even though it was only a week until he had to leave and return to Japan, he still found his friend some happiness. She was always lonely when he, Kippei, and Akira were in Japan. He knew her well enough to understand. Finding her someone else would keep her from her depression. Someone other than her love for tennis. Ad dark blur came speeding toward him.

"Shinji-kun, thanks. I owe you a lot. For Ethan," Yutane hugged him tightly, burying her face into his shirt. Shinji wrapped an arm around her waist.

Ethan glared at his girlfriend's friend from behind his dark bangs. Even though Yutane had constantly assured him she and the Shinji boy were only friends, the way they acted suggested otherwise. It wasn't like they flirted they just hugged and touched way too often. And they were too close for his comfort. A cool hand on his shoulder jolted him out of his thoughts. His girlfriend's bright hazel eyes stared up at him.

"You okay?"

"Yea. C'mon, let's go watch a movie."

"Aww. I wanted to play tennis. After the movie then. Bye, Shinji!"

"Ja."

Two hours later found Yutane and Ethan on a street tennis court. Ethan sat on a bench and watched as the petite girl stretched and warmed up.

"You can leave if you want, Ethan," Yutane told her boyfriend. "It's getting late, anyway."

"You sure? I'll stay, you know."

"No, it's okay. You have a football game tomorrow anyway. You can leave."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow at the game then." He kissed Yutane on the cheek.

"Night."

Ethan left the court and headed home. Yutane knew him too well and they had only been together for three days. He was still trying to break through her barriers. Was she just playing with him? _No, she wouldn't._ Ethan shook the thought out of his head.

Yutane frowned. It was starting to get boring just hitting a ball against the wall since no one was at the court. She checked her watch. _No wonder. It's about dinnertime._

"What do we have here? Hey girl, what're you doing here? All alone, too…," a voice spoke from behind Yutane.

Yutane tensed. "What do you want?" she asked, her short black skirt swaying the breeze. A hand on her waist startled her. "Don't touch me!" She wrenched herself out of the boy's arms.

"Oh, feisty," the boy smirked. His friends laughed as he looked her up and down. "How about this. We'll play you, and if you can beat us, we'll leave you alone. Otherwise, you'll go on a date with us and do whatever we say." Dark eyes traveled down her thin frame.

Yutane bit her lip. Either way, the deal was a bad one but she didn't have much of a choice. "I'll play." Narrowed eyes scanned the group. _About thirty…_ "Who's first?"

Yutane was already sweating an hour later. These guys were good, really good. But in another thirty minutes, she would finish everyone except for the regulars.

"Oh, it looks like you're better than I thought. You've only got the eight of us left. Ryan, Kevin (1). Doubles 2."

"What? That's not very fair," a voice protested from the court entrance.

"Shinji…" Yutane said.

"Me and Yutane against you two. Doubles. It's only fair."

"Shinji, it's me against them. That's final. Anyway, it's good training."

Shinji glared at his friend while he thought about it. "…fine…," he said reluctantly.

"Shinji, I'll be fine." No sooner had the words left her mouth, her legs were kicked out from beneath her and she landed on her back painfully. Two boys grabbed her arms, yanked her to her feet, and held on tightly, holding her in place.

"Yutane!" Shinji started towards her.

"Behind you!" Yutane yelled, eyes widening at the group of boys behind her friend.

Shinji spun around, only to be punched in the stomach and forced to his knees. He faintly heard Yutane scream his name as he received a blow to his head.

"Let me go! Shinji! Leave him alone!"

"Ethan, we did our job. Get your ass here," a black-haired boy spoke into his cell phone.

_ Ethan?_ Yutane thought. _As in Ethan Ferguson?_ Footsteps answered her question. "Ethan?" she whispered.

A raven haired boy appeared at the top of the stairs.

"You bastard!" Shinji yelled, earning himself another blow to the stomach. Yutane cringed at the sight of blood trickling out of Shinji's mouth.

Ethan grinned. "Ah, the boy who put the plan into action. We're all here now, all thanks to you."

"What the hell are you talking about, Ethan?"

"Baby, you'll understand when I'm done," Ferguson smirked and winked at his girlfriend.

"This isn't the Ethan I know!"

"I _am_ the 'Ethan' you know," Ethan walked toward Yutane who had been released. His cold smirk melted into the familiar warm smile.

Yutane shrank away from the advancing figure. "No…no. Go away. Stay away from me! Shinji!" The panicking girl back into a wall. She whimpered, shying away from the boy she had trusted mere hours before.

End Flashback

Yutane winced at the memory. The things that happened after weren't pretty. They were lucky some teenagers were out late and saw them. Otherwise, she didn't want to think about what might have happened. It was pure luck she got away with no more than bruises and a broken arm, and Shinji with a bruised pride and stomach. At least her mind hadn't been broken.

"Yutane-chan," a voice broke through her thoughts.

"Oh, Kippei…"

"You okay? You've been standing in that spot for over ten minutes staring off into space." Kippei peered at Yutane's eyes. He learned long ago her eyes spoke volumes while her actions and facial expressions did not.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me." Yutane looked around and found the Fudomine and Jyosei Shonan teams practicing already. Thinking back to the memory she had just unlocked, she wasn't so sure she wanted to be set up with someone just yet. Shinji would just have to wait.

--

(1): not Kevin Smith

**Important note:**

I _do_ realize that it's been well over a year since I posted chapter 1, and I'm really sorry for the huge delay. I actually had chapter 2 written and finished not long after chapter 1 came out…but I kinda lost the motivation to edit it and post it. But I ended up finishing it, so it's up now. Chapter 3 will most likely never be up, since I really don't know where I was going with this story anymore. I'll do my best to try and write it and finish this story, and I apologize to my readers!

See you soon (hopefully) and maybe I'll start a new story that I can finish xd

BNF


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